What Feminie Leadership is Not!

I have struggled with the lable of leader most of my life. It’s a label I have considered a criticism. To me, leadership meant choosing to be out in front all the time, being aggressive, competitive, masculine, strategic, forcefu, not belonging to the rest of the group. Worst of all, standing out.

If all went well, the leader and her followers were credited for doing a great job. If things fell apart, the failure fell to the leader. Leaders believed in themselves. Women as leaders were expected to be mean, bitchy, manipulative, narcissistic, ruthless, fearless, loved being in charge and were always sure of themselves. Right?  

For the last thirty years women have used a masculine model of leadership. They were expected to be aggressive, strategic, and forceful. I never wanted to be that kind of a leader. How could I be a leader, I bite my nails! The masculine style wasn't true to my nature. It felt awful trying to be something I wasn't in order to advance my career.